News

Leading life science investor Novo Holdings has announced a £50m investment in Oxford Nanopore Technologies. Oxford Nanopore Technologies is a leading UK-listed company currently specialising in a new generation of molecular sensing technology based on nanopores.

Dr Daniel Mahony, senior partner, Growth Investments, Novo Holdings, said: “This investment underscores our belief in Oxford Nanopore’s platform and its expanding opportunity in biopharmaceuticals, where rapid sequencing, richer data and a streamlined platform can support discovery and delivery of new drug therapies. We are confident in Oxford Nanopore’s long-term value proposition after extensive due diligence within the biopharma community and analysis of their robust and extensive IP portfolio, and we look forward to supporting the company going forward.”

One of the foremost focus points in research at Oxford Nanopore is their development around new generations of molecular analysis technology, which is being used for RNA/DNA sequencing today. The technology is used primarily in life sciences research, specifically clinical and industrial settings in biopharma.

In addition to the £50m investment, Novo Holdings has stated that they intend to add to this investment over time, with further purchases in the secondary market, subject to availability and price (among other factors).

The technology will be deployed to understand human and planetary health, in addition to plant and pathogen animal biology.

Dr Gordon Sanghera, chief executive officer, Oxford Nanopore added: “Our technology platform is uniquely suited to address the needs of this industry, where information-rich, rapid and simplified sequencing are critical to developing and delivering biopharmaceuticals faster and with less complexity. Oxford Nanopore has developed a new generation of molecular analysis technology, which is today used for DNA/RNA sequencing. The technology offers rich data including epigenetics, rapid insights through real-time workflows and portable formats, in a way that is accessible and affordable.”